Spencer · Upper Cumberland
Starting a business in Van Buren County.
Where to go, what it costs, and what is particular to Van Buren rather than true everywhere. The rules are Tennessee’s; the office, the hours and the number of licences are local.
Where you go
Van Buren County Clerk
Lisa Rigsby
121 Taft Drive, Spencer, TN 38585
Open: Mon to Fri, 8am to 4pm
What it costs in Van Buren
$15county licence only
$15 to the county clerk, and that is the whole of it. Spencer does not levy a city business tax, which makes Van Buren cheaper to start in than most of the region.
The $15 is set by state law, so it is the same in every Tennessee county. You need it once you expect more than $3,000 a year.
Worth knowing: CTAS lists a stale address, 500 College Street. Van Buren's own site still states a $10,000 standard-licence threshold; it has been $100,000 since 2023, so do not repeat their figure. Spencer does not levy, so it is one licence here.
The rest of it is the same everywhere
Choosing between a sole proprietorship and an LLC, registering with the Secretary of State, sales tax, and the order to do it all in are Tennessee-wide rather than Van Buren-specific. The full guide covers them, including why an LLC costs $300 rather than the hundred or so most people expect.
Read the full guideWe serve Van Buren County
The Biz Foundry is a non-profit in Cookeville and coaching is free across all fourteen Upper Cumberland counties, in person or over video. There is no office in Spencer; there is a person who will talk to you about Spencer.
Book a free session →Checked against official county and state sources on September 17, 2026. If you find something out of date, tell us and we will fix it.